1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a window shade that can be readily applied to the rear window of an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
Direct sunlight into the passenger compartment of an automobile can both heat the compartment and reduce the visibility of the occupants. Additionally, headlight glare may also reduce the visibility of the driver. To increase the comfort of driving, there has been developed window shades that can be attached to an automobile vehicle to reduce the amount of sunlight that enters the passenger compartment of the car.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,222 issued to Idland, discloses a window shade constructed from polyvinyl material which can be stuck to the surface of the window. The Idland shade has a plurality of opaque lines that are separated by transparent portions. The alternating opaque and transparent portions reduces the amount of direct sunlight while allowing the occupants to view through the window shade. Although the Idland shade is effective in reducing direct sunlight, the adhesion properties of the polyvinyl material degrades over time, particularly if the shade is exposed to dirt and is repeatedly applied to the window.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,041 issued to Labeur; U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,224 issued to Woodworth; U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,506 issued to Shiota; U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,666 issued to Hodgson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,633 issued to Hsu et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,866 issued to Cody also disclose window shades that extend from curtain rods which are permanently fastened to the passenger compartment of the car. The permanent nature of the mounting equipment is sometimes undesirable, particularly if the owner of the vehicle no longer desires to have the window shade. Additionally, the prior art window shades must either be installed at the factory or require substantial post-factory assembly. It would be desirable to have a window shade that can applied to an automobile without modifying the vehicle. It would also be desirable to have a window shade which can be applied to various automobile makes and models.